Our friends arrived Friday night and we promptly went to bed. So on Saturday, December 20, we all (Tim & I, our four girls, Carl, Anita & Ryan) woke at 3am, left the house at 4am, got to Millville airport at 5am, took off around 6:30am! Whew!
This was my first time ever to fly on Tim's Gulfstream (we flew in the Lear 4 years ago). Very cool. Flying like the celebrities do--better than first-class :)
We arrived in NY around 7am and took a bus into the city. Our first stop was Macy's to see Santa. We were sitting on Santa's lap by about 8am! If you have never been to see Santa at Macy's in NYC, it is definitely an experience worth taking advantage of. They have a whole little 'village' set up that you walk through and many photo ops along the way.
Santa himself was a bit 'interesting' to say the least (there were many Santas hidden behind secret walls for when its really crowded, peculiar). We got a family pic taken with him, which was a special treat.
Notice the Santa(s):
Another fun part about going to Macy's is checking out their awesome window displays. Very fun and unique! This one was our fave - an aerial view of Macy's:
The weather was cold, damp and windy all day. The temps didnt get over 23 degrees and there was snow on the ground (aka muddy slush in NYC...lol) So we really bundled up and the kids were definitely good sports about it - as their feet were soaked and our faces were wind burned.
After Macy's we walked along the streets in search of Rockefeller Center. We past Radio City Music Hall and I was really wishing we could go in to see the Rockettes! We stopped at The Gap for a pair of gloves and to warm up a bit before continuing our journey!
The girls loved seeing the HUGE Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center - they remembered watching it get lit on TV earlier in the month, so it was familiar to them. Plus we saw a Santa skating on the ice there which was pretty fun.
Then we went to a really nice little deli called Utopia for an early lunch (around 10am). The food and service were superb and the prices weren't bad at all - definitely a place to check out if you're in town. Ryan slept in his stroller the whole time we were there - lucky boy!
After our bellies were full and we were all warmed up, it was off to FAO Schwarz (the famous NYC toy store!) Believe it or not, there was a line to get in! Crazy, huh? Luckily we had good timing and didn't have to wait out in the freezing cold for too long. It was an experience I know the girls wont soon forget. They each got a little stuffed animal to remember our special day there. This is the toy store with a giant piano keyboard on the floor (remember the movie Big?!) Very cool.
Made of Jelly Beans!
Then a nice, brisk walk around Times Square with all the big buildings - the girls were in awe.
Then it was time to come home. Tim & Carl had to drive the other pilot's car back to Millville, so Anita & I took all five kids on a Greyhound Bus back to Atlantic City around 4pm. Although I got in a fight with the damn ticket-counter guy (for charging me adult price for one of my kids)... overall it was a great experience. Much better than driving. We all got to sleep a bit. And the prices weren't too bad.
We arrived at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City by 6:30pm -- definitely a L-O-N-G day!
Pops picked us up and then we were Home Sweet Home.
We could not have asked for better friends to spend this special day with! It was great to have Carl, Anita & Ryan there to experience all the fun. And they are the most flexible and easy-going people we know! (which is an added benefit for a spontaneous trip like this!) What a super day... a total surprise and it all worked out perfectly! Let's do it again guys! (maybe on a warmer Spring day?) LOL
2 comments:
Sounds like great fun! Put us at the top of the list for the next fun trip.
That sounds awesome, and I love the pics. I'd imagine the girls were tuckered out by the end of the night but those are memories they'll have forever. Awesome.
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